Friday morning at Churchill Downs started with a scratch and ended with a last-minute call to the barn. Right to Party is out of the 2026 Kentucky Derby, pulled at 8:17 a.m. by a regulatory veterinarian citing lameness in his right foreleg. Calumet Farm's Robusta, a Doug O'Neill trainee, draws in from the also-eligible list and lands in post 23, the outermost gate in a 23-horse field, at morning-line odds of 50-1.
Kenny McPeek is not happy about it, and he made sure everyone knew it. More on that in a moment. First, let's get the updated Kentucky Derby odds picture straight and figure out what this shake-up means for your ticket.
Below is the full 23-horse starting gate as it stands following Friday's scratch and draw. Focus on how the field sets up from a pace and position standpoint with the updated configuration.
| 2026 Kentucky Derby Odds and Post Positions | ||
| PP | Horse / Jockey / Trainer | Fractional |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | RenegadeI. Ortiz Jr. · T. Pletcher | 4/1 |
| 2 | AlbusM. Franco · R. Mott | 30/1 |
| 3 | IntrepidoH. Berrios · J. Mullins | 50/1 |
| 4 | Litmus TestM. García · B. Baffert | 30/1 |
| SCR | Right to PartyC. Elliot · K. McPeek | 30/1 |
| 6 | CommandmentL. Saez · B. Cox | 6/1 |
| 7 | Danon BourbonA. Nishimura · M. Ikezoe | 20/1 |
| 8 | So HappyM. Smith · M. Glatt | 15/1 |
| 9 | The PumaJ. Castellano · G. Delgado | 10/1 |
| 10 | Wonder DeanR. Sakai · D. Takayanagi | 30/1 |
| 11 | IncrediboltJ. Torres · R. Mott | 20/1 |
| 12 | Chief WallabeeJ. Alvarado · B. Mott | 8/1 |
| SCR | Silent TacticC. Torres · M. Casse | 20/1 |
| 14 | PotenteJ. Hernández · B. Baffert | 20/1 |
| 15 | Emerging MarketF. Prat · C. Brown | 15/1 |
| 16 | PavlovianE. Maldonado · D. O'Neill | 30/1 |
| 17 | Six SpeedB. Hernández Jr. · B. Seemar | 50/1 |
| 18 | Further AdoJ. Velazquez · B. Cox | 6/1 |
| 19 | Golden TempoJ. Ortiz · C. DeVaux | 30/1 |
| SCR | FulleffortT. Gaffalione · B. Cox | 20/1 |
| 21 | Great WhiteA. Achard · J. Eniis | 50/1 |
| 22 | OcelliJ. Ramos · W. Beckman | 50/1 |
| 23 | RobustaE. Jaramillo · D. F. O'Neill | 50/1 |
Last Updated on 05/01/2026
For the full updated field and live futures, check the current Kentucky Derby entries and bookmark the Kentucky Derby odds page, which updates in real time as the market moves toward post.
This is the third scratch of Derby week, and it is the one generating the most heat. Right to Party, the runner-up in the Grade II Wood Memorial, was flagged by Kentucky's regulatory veterinarians after they did not like how he jogged on Friday morning. The official reason is right foreleg lameness. McPeek says the X-rays came back clean and that the PET scan findings are being read too aggressively.
McPeek went public fast, and he went hard. His quote to reporters summed it up simply: "It seems like it's us against them, the trainers against the vets." He called his horse a grinder, not a horse at risk of catastrophic breakdown, and argued that the level of scrutiny being applied in Kentucky right now goes beyond what the evidence supports. Whether you agree with him or not, McPeek earned his seat at that table. He is a Derby horseman of serious credentials, and his frustration is not manufactured for the cameras.
From a pure handicapping standpoint, Right to Party had legitimate credentials coming in. A Grade II Wood Memorial runner-up earns points and respect. His presence in the field as a legitimate mid-level contender at fair odds made him a viable part of multi-horse exotic tickets. That option is now off the board. The question becomes whether the horses around him in the pace scenario get affected and whether Robusta at 50-1 deserves any consideration from Gate 23.
You can dig into the full history of how this field came together on the Kentucky Derby prep races page and review what each horse did to earn their spot in the gate.
Let's be straight about this. Post 23 in a full gate at Churchill Downs, going a mile and a quarter, is not where you want to be. The horse on the extreme outside in a 23-horse field has to deal with extra ground to cover from the break, a long run to the first turn, and a pace scenario that could put him six-wide before the field even settles. Doug O'Neill knows this as well as anyone. He has two Kentucky Derby trophies, I'll Have Another in 2012 and Nyquist in 2016, and he understands the demands of the track and the distance.
Robusta is a homebred for Calumet Farm, which gives him some sentimental pull. He is by Accelerate, a horse who was a grinder and a distance horse himself. The bloodline fits the distance. But bloodlines alone do not overcome what happened last out. Robusta finished seventh in the Santa Anita Derby, beaten well off the pace, in a race that did not set up favorably for horses closing from the outside. Before that, he ran second in the San Felipe Stakes, which was a more encouraging performance, but the step back in form last out is a red flag you cannot ignore on the biggest stage in American racing.
Jockey Cristian Torres gets the call here and deserves credit for handling a tough week with class. He lost his original Derby mount when Silent Tactic was scratched earlier in the week, and then got the phone to ring again with Robusta's inclusion. This is his first Kentucky Derby ride, and the story writes itself. Whether the horse can back it up is another matter entirely.
For a more complete look at who belongs near the top of this field, the Kentucky Derby contenders page lays it out clearly with form and credentials for each horse in the gate.
The removal of Right to Party changes the pace picture at the front end in a subtle way. He was a presser type, comfortable sitting just off a lead and grinding in the stretch. With him gone, the middle of the pace scenario opens up slightly for horses who like to stalk and accelerate in the final turn.
The speed in this race is concentrated in the teens on the inside and the single digits. Horses like Journalism from post 2 and Sovereignty from post 6 figure prominently in the pace shape because they have tactical speed and are ridden by experienced riders who know Churchill Downs. Prat on Check the Details from the rail is a dangerous angle, because Prat on a horse with gate speed at Churchill Downs from post 1 has a well-documented track record. He knows how to get a position from the inside in a full field.
Stalkers and closers from mid-pack posts are the ones who typically benefit from a contested pace in a full gate. Horses sitting eighth through twelfth early, with a turn of foot in the final three-eighths, are where the exotics tend to get built on a day like this.
For Robusta specifically, the pace scenario is not his friend from the 23. He would need a hot pace up front, horses fanning out to create room in the stretch, and a ground-saving trip that, frankly, is nearly impossible to engineer from the outermost post. O'Neill and Torres would likely let him settle wide, find a comfortable spot, and hope the pace collapses enough for horses from the extreme outside to close into a piece of the superfecta. That is not a winning formula, but it is a realistic one for exotic purposes.
For a full breakdown of how to structure these tickets from the ground up, the Kentucky Derby betting guide and the Kentucky Derby betting hub are both worth your time before you build your card Friday night.
Also worth noting: if you are playing Pick 4s or Pick 5s that run into the Derby race itself, the scratch of Right to Party does not refund your ticket if you had him as a single. The field in those situations typically reverts to the morning-line favorite for that position, depending on the host track's rules. Verify with the track before finalizing your multi-race exotics. You can check BUSR for official entries and race conditions to confirm how scratches are handled in your specific wagers.
If you are looking ahead to the rest of the Triple Crown picture or thinking about the Triple Crown bonus implications, those are in play starting Saturday and worth understanding before you commit to any futures action.
Robusta at 50-1 is a lottery ticket, and there is nothing wrong with putting two or three dollars on him to win purely for the story. That is horse racing. But if you are looking for a real overlay in this field with the updated configuration after Right to Party's scratch, the mid-range horses with clean posts and proven class become more attractive, not the horse from Gate 23 with one good race behind him.
Check the live Kentucky Derby contenders breakdown and cross-reference with the Kentucky Derby props available at US Racing for additional betting angles beyond the straight exotics.
The conversation online has been sharp and fast-moving since the news broke Friday morning. Here is where the racing community stands on this shake-up.
"UPDATE: Right to Party is OUT. Robusta draws into the #KentuckyDerby field at 50-1. Cristian Torres gets the mount. Full updated field and odds now live at NBCSports.com."
"Kenny McPeek is not holding back after Right to Party's regulatory scratch from the Kentucky Derby: 'It seems like it's us against them, the trainers against the vets.' Full story at PaulickReport.com. #KentuckyDerby152"
Right to Party scratched from Kentucky Derby, Robusta draws in at 50-1. McPeek goes off on regulatory vets.
Third scratch of Derby week. McPeek is furious. Says regulatory vets are out of control in Kentucky. Robusta was a well-beaten 7th in the Santa Anita Derby but ran 2nd in the San Felipe. Outside post 23 is a massive ask. Pure lottery ticket at 50-1.
Robusta 50-1 in the Kentucky Derby, any value there after Right to Party scratch?
Gate 23 on the far outside is brutal. O'Neill has won this race before. Calumet Farm homebred. But last out was a disaster in the Santa Anita Derby. Anyone throwing a few bucks on this just for the story? Cristian Torres riding his first Derby is a nice angle.
The broader sentiment across both platforms is clear: most sharp bettors are treating Robusta as a deep exotic saver at best, not a serious win contender. The McPeek angle is generating far more conversation than Robusta's actual chances, and that is probably the right order of priority. The debate over regulatory vet authority in Kentucky is not going away after today, and it may shape how trainers manage their horses in the final days before major stakes races going forward. You can follow the live conversation on X and on Reddit as opinions continue to develop through post time.
Right to Party was scratched at 8:17 a.m. on Friday, May 1 by a regulatory veterinarian after lameness concerns were identified in his right foreleg. A PET scan and jogging evaluation prompted the scratch despite X-rays coming back clean. Trainer Kenny McPeek strongly disputed the decision, arguing the horse is a grinder and not a breakdown risk, and criticized what he called over-scrutiny by Kentucky's regulatory veterinarians.
Robusta is a homebred Calumet Farm colt by Accelerate, trained by two-time Derby winner Doug O'Neill and ridden by Cristian Torres. He drew into the Kentucky Derby as the final also-eligible following Right to Party's scratch and opened at 50-1 from post position 23. His best prep performance was a runner-up finish in the San Felipe Stakes, though he followed that with a well-beaten seventh-place finish in the Santa Anita Derby.
The far outside post in a full 23-horse field at Churchill Downs is one of the toughest assignments in American racing. A horse from Gate 23 has to cover extra ground from the break, navigate a long run to the first turn, and deal with traffic complications that horses from inside posts simply do not face. Robusta's form coming in is also a concern after his poor Santa Anita Derby effort. That said, O'Neill has won this race twice and knows how to manage a horse in a tough spot. At 50-1, Robusta belongs in exotic tickets as a deep superfecta saver, not a straight win bet. For the latest odds movement, check the Kentucky Derby odds page at US Racing.
After Saturday's race, check back for full Kentucky Derby results and a complete Kentucky Derby winners breakdown. And if you are thinking about the road ahead, the BC free bet offer at US Racing is worth keeping on your radar as the stakes calendar builds toward fall.
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
